The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will only field an ice hockey team for the Sixth Asian Winter Games to be held in Changchun of Northeast China from Jan. 28 to Feb. 4.

It will be the first-ever participation of UAE in an Asian Winter Games, and the 22-athlete ice hockey team complete the entire UAE lineup for the Games, according to Abdul Razak Al Khajah, chef-de-Mission of the UAE delegation on Thursday.

"Ice hockey is a new sport in UAE and the only winter sport we have now at home. Our participation will show the world that we have a team," said Khajah, adding that UAE has about 300 ice hockey players in all.

The players and coaches aimed high as they arrived in Changchun for training two weeks earlier ahead of the Asian jamboree.

UAE are in Group B along with Thailand and Kazakhstan. Group A comprises Japan and South Korea while China, Kuwait and Chinese Macao feature in Group C with DPR Korea, Malaysia and Chinese Hong Kong in Group D.

"We promoted the sport in our country since 1976 with the help of Canada, and our team has often played in important tournaments on Asian level, with a second place result in one of them," said Khajah, who also serves as the treasurer of the UAE Ice Hockey Association.

He was optimistic of the team's performance in the Games, according to Khaleej Times, the No.1 English language daily newspaper published from Dubai, UAE.

"I hope we can finish third or fourth, we have played three friendly matches in China and won all," he was quoted as saying on Jan. 17.

"I do not know the strength of the opponents, but I understand they are strong sides," he added.

UAE will take on Thailand in their opening match on Jan. 26, to be followed a day later by Kazakhstan.

Source: Xinhua